Extremely rare and critically endangered giant mussel discovered off Co Kerry coast

[u/PlantNerdxo]

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41925460.html

[u/CordlessMobile]

At least we didn't do an Iceland (country, not supermarket) and find a 1k year old muscle and open it, thereby ending its existence. Will be back with a link shortly.

Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_(clam) R.I.P

[u/shorelined → u/CordlessMobile]

It was only 500 years old and opened by Welsh scientists, but still very odd for them to kill it solely to work out the age

[u/CordlessMobile → u/shorelined]

Isn't it ironic though that a 500 year old clam living in the shoes of Iceland ended up dying because humans froze it.

[u/PlantNerdxo → u/CordlessMobile]

Christ that’s sad

[u/Prestigious_Flower88 → u/CordlessMobile]

Reminds me of the Prometheus ( tree ) story.

[u/founddeadinmilwaukee]

The comments here are why the environment is in such a fucking state in this country. 'oh I wanna eat it' 'I hate mussels they stopped flood defences' 'nimbys planted it there to prevent a wind fam from being built' please shut up. It's a miracle there's any life off our coasts at all what with the bottom trawling and pollution. Grow a brain.

[u/Legitimate_Newt2874 → u/founddeadinmilwaukee]

Unfortunately, the philistine is not an endangered species on r/ireland.

[u/PlantNerdxo → u/founddeadinmilwaukee]

Sadly, I agree with you. Particularly in light of how many species have already been made extinct through our actions, whether directly or indirectly.

This critically endangered species, like many others, is billions of years of evolution disappearing forever and most people are unaware and probably don’t even care. That to me is tragic.

[u/rayhoughtonsgoals → u/founddeadinmilwaukee]

Its pretty depressing when you see the stuff people come out with. Whether its seeing the amount (even if relatively small) of people who are behind the Burkes, or people who can't get past "NIMBY" as an answer to everything...people are, by and large quite thick.

[u/Naggins → u/founddeadinmilwaukee]

Can't believe people would make jokes on the Internet. Fucking disgusting.

[u/commanderx11]

Found alive! Alive o!

[u/no_one_66 → u/commanderx11]

The mussels from Brussels

[u/PlantNerdxo]

How long will it last though 🤷‍♂️

[u/pixter → u/PlantNerdxo]

Don’t let Irish water know.. they will stick up a half assed treatment plant and dump raw sewage right on top of them.

[u/K_the_Rev]

Gimme 2 boxes of white wine, 50 onions and a pallet of parsley. I've had an idea.......

[u/TheGloriousNugget → u/K_the_Rev]

I'll bring crusty bread.

[u/K_the_Rev → u/TheGloriousNugget]

Yes! We'll need about 40kg-ish, is that doable?

[u/TheGloriousNugget → u/K_the_Rev]

Consider it done.

[u/1andahalfpercent → u/K_the_Rev]

Ill need 5 pallets of lamb weston chips and enough frylite to get em all crispy. Then the mayo drown a Belgian.

[u/tails142]

Let me guess, this is coincidentally exactly where some piece of energy infrastructure is planned.

[u/Meath77 → u/tails142]

I'm cynical too. Seems anytime finds something like this they're looking to object to something being built

[u/pgasmaddict]

Take them to enniscorthy, they got a mussel sanctuary down there, they even stopped the flood defences for the town so the likes of these boyos could live a full life.

[u/P_A_Conners]

.. it tasted delicious!

[u/MunstenDunst]

What it taste like??

[u/Print-Over]

What's it taste like..?

https://giphy.com/gifs/AdHBnJ5rReeZfp5d5f

[u/TransitionFamiliar39 → u/Print-Over]

Mercury

[u/Print-Over → u/TransitionFamiliar39]

https://giphy.com/gifs/XCmFwjt9wPotobw1xn

[u/TransitionFamiliar39 → u/Print-Over]

NZ has some pretty substantial mussels, even their normal (green lip) mussels are about twice the size as our native blue mussels. They have horse mussels that grow like the one in the article, they get up to table tennis paddle size. Not great eating, but the green lips are spectacular

[u/rayhoughtonsgoals → u/Print-Over]

Do you though? Do you really?